


Come With Me

by Kais767



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Bullying, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Physical Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:48:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22983538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kais767/pseuds/Kais767
Summary: Arthur finds someone crying at the bottom of the stairs.Canon-era AU.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 287
Collections: Hurt/Comfort Bingo - Round 10





	Come With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Hurt/Comfort Bingo - Round 10 (February Amnesty).
> 
> Prompts: captivity, sensory deprivation, culture shock, bullying (wildcard)

“Alright, Gwaine. That’s enough for tonight,” Arthur says as he curls a hand around Gwaine, helping his well and truly plastered knight to his feet. “Let’s get you back to your room before you throw up on the barmaid again.”

It’s not often that Arthur joins his knights in the pub, but having returned that morning victorious from an expedition to rid the outlying villages of Cenred’s bandits, Arthur decided to afford himself that small luxury.

Gwaine isn’t nearly as tall or broad as Percy, but he’s formidable in his own right. Arthur huffs as he helps Gwaine stumble and sway through the corridors and up the stairs into his room in the North Tower.

The corridors are quiet at this time of the night, save for the drunken slurs that Gwaine utters. After unceremoniously dumping Gwaine on his bed, and placing a jug of water on the bedside table, he retraces his steps down the stairs.

He hears a sob from behind him. When he turns around, he sees a young man — more of a boy, really — seated in the alcove below the stairs. There are tears streaming down from his crystal-blue eyes. The boy’s knees are to his chest, looking very, very alone. He’s probably a servant, judging by his clothes. 

His heart breaks at the sight of this miserable boy. 

He walks over to the boy, who seems to be so engulfed in his misery that he doesn't hear Arthur approach. His clothes are soaked and he’s shivering.

“Are you alright?” Arthur asks.

The boy snaps his head up, seemingly startled to be found. His eyes widen as he stumbles to his feet.

“Pr- Prince Arthur?” The boy stammers. “I- I’m fine, My Lord.”

“Well, you’re crying alone in a corner and completely soaked, which makes me think you’re not.”

Arthur gets a weary stare, and he knows he probably won’t be getting a reply soon.

He softens his tone. “What’s your name?”

“Merlin, sire”

“I haven’t seen you around before.”

Merlin wipes his tears with the back of his hand. “I work for the Court Physician.”

“You work for Ulric?” Arthur asks, sounding a little bit surprised.

“Yes, My Lord.”

“Won’t you be more comfortable in your own room?”

Merlin looks away, avoiding Arthur’s gaze.

“You live in the servants’ quarters, don’t you?”

“No, in Ulric’s workshop.”

Arthur’s eyes narrow. “What are you doing out here then?”

“I… can’t go home tonight.”

“Well, you can’t be sleeping here, can you?”

“I’ll be fine, sire.”

Arthur places a hand on Merlin’s shoulder. “Come with me,” he says magnanimously. “Can’t let you freeze out here.” 

They walk quietly to Arthur’s chambers, with Merlin following obediently several steps behind.

Arthur nods at the guard outside his door, who looks curiously at the boy trailing behind but decides to hold his silence.

Merlin stands awkwardly by the entrance, eyes taking in the expanse of the room. 

Arthur throws Merlin a towel with an old pair of pyjamas and gestures towards the changing screen.

Arthur fills two goblets with wine before taking a seat at the corner of the table, joined by Merlin who looks ridiculous but strangely adorable in Arthur’s clothes.

“I want to know what happened, Merlin. If someone’s hurting you I want to know.”

Merlin takes a tentative sip of the wine.

“It’s Ulric,” Merlin starts, “he made me prepare his bath earlier.”

“Ulric? The new Court Physician?”

Merlin nods as he places the goblet on the table. “I used one of those quick-heating stones Gaius left behind to heat the water, but when Ulric stepped into the tub he yelled at me for making it too hot. He got so angry that he dumped a pail of water on me.” 

Arthur can feel his rage boiling inside him. He didn’t particularly like the new Court Physician, but he never pictured him as an abusive man. “What else did he do to you?”

“He gets angry every day. Throws stuff at me all the time. He even threw potion in my face that blinded me for a few hours. Last week, he even left me captive in my room for an entire day.”

“Merlin, you can’t let him do that.”

“What can I do? I’m just a servant.” Merlin retorts. “I’ve got nowhere else to go.”

“Where’s your family?”

“My mum’s in Ealdor. She sent me here to work for Gaius,” Merlin replied, eyes crinkling at the mention of the retired Court Physician. “He was the kindest soul to me in all of Camelot since the day I arrived, helping me adjust to life in such a big town.

“Now he’s gone and I don’t know what else I can do,” he continues, and his smile fades away just like that. “But I won’t give up that easily. It’s not what my mother raised me to be.”

Perhaps it’s the guilt he feels for allowing a servant to be mistreated at the hands of a trusted senior court official. Or it could be those eyes so full of hurt that Arthur couldn’t bear to look at for much longer. There’s just something about this boy that makes Arthur feel incredibly protective all of a sudden.

“Come work for me,” Arthur blurts out before he finished thinking. 

Merlin looks at Arthur incredulously.

“What?”

“I’ve never had a dedicated manservant before. Never thought I enjoyed having any of them around much, frankly. But there’s something about you Merlin. You’re not like the others,” Arthur ventures. “Maybe you can be my first?”

Merlin’s eyes light up.

“That would be an honour, sire.”

“A _tremendous_ honour, Merlin,” Arthur corrects with a smirk.

“If you weren’t the Crown Prince of Camelot, I’d call you arrogant.” Merlin’s grin makes Arthur’s heart do a backflip.

They banter away into the early hours of the morning over more wine, which amplifies their laughter that makes Arthur feel warm inside. It's natural with Merlin, as though they've known each other for an eternity. When the second jug runs dry, Merlin lets out a lzay yawn, and Arthur remembers just how tired he is. 

Merlin lies by the fireplace as Arthur gets comfortable on his bed, throwing a pillow and blanket in his new manservant's direction.

The last thing Arthur sees before he blows out candle is a fond smile on Merlin’s face, not a hint of despair he carried just hours before. It’s the first time in a long while that Arthur falls asleep with a grin on his face.


End file.
